Sealing means for wrapping machines



June 29 1926. 1,590,208

A R. E. RUNDELL,

SEALING MEANS FOR WRAPPING MACHINES Filed Dec. 8, 1925 INVENTOR ATTORNEY mama June 29,, 19 26.

UNI -so SVTAT'ES A'T Nr for-Flee;

nurnnr aunnnnr, or noexvura cmrrnn, new YORK, assrenon r annnrcan uacnnm a rounnmr company, a conronarron on NEW JERSEY.

smme means non wwrme uacn'mns;

- Application mm December a, 1925. semi-rumors,

This invention relates to an improvement in. sealing means for wrapping machines. It is partlcularly designed and adapted for use in connection with machines for wrap- 6 ping articles of irregular contour, such as loaves of bread, with wax-paper, or with ordinary gummed wrapping paper. It consists in certain arts, constructions and com binationswhic will be hereinafter fully described and then specifically set forth in the claims hereunto appended.

In the accompanying "dr awings, which form a part of this specification and in which like characters of reference indicate the same or like parts, Fig. 1 is a plan view of a deviceconstructed in accordancewith,

the invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1;.and Fig, 3

is. afragm'entary plan view taken on the The specific sealing means selected to illustrate the invention 18 but one of numerous possible concrete embodiments of the invention. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted to the precise details of the structure shown-and described.

This specific sealing means was designed for use on a bread wrapping machine which handles loaves of bread of more or less irregular contour, particularly. at the bottom of the. loaf where lies the overlapping 'seam of the wax-paper wrapper in which the loaf is enclosed. 1 o

A wrapped loaf '4 entersthe device betweenthe folder plates '5-5 which are a part of the wrapping machine proper. From the plates 5-5, the loaf is moved, by the pushers 6-6, into position between the electrically-heated plates 7-7. The pushers 6 6 are arranged'm pairs, and'each pair is v secured, to-two conveyor chains 10- -10 ,.by

- means of aLrod 8 and two lugs 9-9;. When; --the work ofth'e pushers on-a pa'rticularloafis done, and the loaf is forwarded by other 4 means to be hereinafter described, the

. pushers are *retractedor moved backwardly out of contact with the, loaf, in 'orderto avoid dragging" them across the waxed-surface of the wrappingfpaperand thus marring it. When in this retracted position,--the vloafreaches this conveyor-belt, the cam bowl .011 of the. machineof the wrapper which, are folded against the outits en'gth rather than at the high pushers-6.6 are pressed bysprings 11-11 against'crossrods 12, the latter being secured to the conveyorchains 10-10 by means of lugs 1313. Two pushers 66 are pinned on each rod 8, and each of the latter carries an arm 14 provided with a cam bowl 15, the purpose of which is tolbring the pushers 6-6 -int,o operative position after having been retracted and returned to the front end of the machine to there engage another loaf, up and forward it; Coacting with the cam bowls 15 is a" stationary cam 16, the latter being concentric with one of the sprockets '17 over which the chains 10 run. As the rear chain 10, carrying the arm 14' and cam bowl15, turns over its sprocket 17, the bowl engages a stationary cam-rail 18 "which 1 causes the pushers66 to rise from the.

of a loaf and pushes the same ahead'of it until it reaches the conveyor belt 27. When a 15 rides oil the end of'the cam-rail 18, whereup'on thespring 11 swings the pushers 6'6 backwardly, thus retracting them and pre'' velitin them from marring the waxed surf face 10 the wrapper, and causing them-to, snap back against the crossrod" 12 where the remain until they again reachthe front The electrically heated lates 7- 7v melt, l the wax of the'paper and t us seal the ends ends, of theloaf. This, however, does not seal the'overlap d's'eam running along the bottom of the oaf which is usually quite irregular in contour. For. the'pur ose of: 'eflecti the sealing of this scam t roughsp onl gas heretofore, there isprovide means, which follows the irregularities ofthe loaf bottom and'presses against the seam under the same. As shown, this means includes a series of s ring-pressed fingers20 mountedside'b' si e in-an aperture cut through the-1.- bed-p ate, andlprotruding' above the same..; Each of. these fingers is provided with a stop-lug 21 for iengagementjwith. the under too i bread with wax-paper, an .electrical heater 23 is attached to each finger 20. It is to be understood, however, that when the sealing means is used in connection with a machine I not be marred. This paper, vno heating means interest of brevity.

wrapping with ordinary gummed wrapping need be used, the pressure of the fingers alone being suflicient to effect the sealing of the seam.

After a pair of ushers 6-6 have pushed a loaf ast the ngers 66, said loaf is moved tliereby in between two cooling plates 24 and over a second series of fingers 25, the latter being like the fingers 20, except in that they have no heating means. Thus, the device has two tandem series of springpressed fingers, the fingers of the leading series being heated to melt the wax of the paper and thus seal the seam, while the fingersof the second series are cold to cool and harden the sealing wax.

To resist the upward thrust of the fin ers 20 and 25, there is provided a pressure elt 26 the operating run of which travels along with the loaf, so that the wax surface of the wrapping paper at the top 'of the loaf will ressure belt remains in action until the loaf has been pushed, by the pushers 66 into the range of action of a conveyorbelt 27 the operatingrun of which forms a continuation of the bed-plate 19.. When the loaf reaches this conveyorbelt, it is also 'within the range of action of two side belts 28-28 the operating runs of'which move forward-with the conveyor belt 27 and so prevent marring of the wax surface of the wrapper as the loaf is forwarded on out of the device.

The conveyor belt 27- and the side belts 2828 are driven as follows: A b'elt deriv- "ing its motion from any suitable source of motion drives the shaft 30 which carries a gear 31 driving a gar 32 on the pulley shaft of the conveyor It 27. At each end of the shaft 30, a bevel gear 33 meshes with a bevel gear 34 on a vertical shaft 35, each vertical shaft having a gear 36 meshing with i1 gag; 37 on the shaft 38 of the vertical pulln view of the foregoing, further description of the operation ofthe device is deemed to be unnecessa to a full understanding of the invention. is therefore omitted in the What is claimed is: a 1. Sealing meanjsfor wrap ing machines, comprising mechanism for orwardin an article of irregular contour enclosed within a wrapper having an overlapped seam, and

means following t 2. Sealing means for wrapping machines, K

comprising mechanism for forwarding an artlcle of lrregular contour enclosed within a, wrapper having an overlapped seam,

means following the irregularities of said article and pressing against said seam to seal it, and, means for resisting the thrust of said pressing means.

3. Sealing means for wrapping machines, comprising mechanism for forwarding an article of irregular contour enclosed within a wrapper havin an over-lapped seam,

lie irregularities of said article and pressing against said seam to seal it, and a pressure belt engaging said article and through it resisting thethrust of said pressing means. 4. Sealing means for wrapping machines, comprising mechanism for forwarding an article of irregular contour enclosed within a wrapper having an overlapped seam, means following the irregularities of said article and pressing against said seam to seal it, and means for heating said pressing means.

5. Sealing means for wrapping machines,-

forwarding an to seal it, said meansincluding a series of enclosed withspring-pressed fingers mounted side by sidein the path of said seam. 1

6. Sealing means for wrapping machines, comprising mechanism for orwarding an article of irregularcontour enclosed within a wrapper having an overlapped seam, and" means following the irregularities of said article and pressing against said seam to seal it, said means including two tandem series of spring-pressed fingers mounted side by side ,in the ath of said seam.

7. Sealing means or wrapping machines, comprising mechanism for forwarding an article of irregular contour enclosed within.

a wrapper having an overlapped seam, and means following the irregu arlties of said article and presslng against said seam to seal it, said means including two tandem series of spr'uiig-pressed fingers mounted side by side int c path of said seam, and means for heating the fingers of the leading series.

8. Sealing means for wrap ing machines, comprising mechanism for orwarding an article of irregfiilar contour enclosed within a wrapper aving an overlaplped seam, and means following the irregu arities of said article and pressing against said seam to seal it, said mechanism including a con veyor belt, a pusher forwardin the article past said pressing means to said belt, and

means for retracting said pusher when the article reaches said belt.

. 9. Sealing means for wrapping machines, comprising mechanism for orwarding an article of irreiilar contour enclosed within a wrapper aving an overlap d seam and means following the irregu arities oi said article and pressing a ainst said seam to seal it, said mechanism including a conveyor belt, a pusher forwarding the article 10 past said pressing means to said belt, and

spring-actuated and cam-controlled means for retractin said pusher when the article reaches said lt.- v.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my 1 name to this specification. 1

' RUPERT E. BUNDELL. Y 

